Category Archives: Tea/Drinks

Consider this recipe my greatest testament to my love for almonds. Really, this smoothie was inevitable. I cut down a lot on my caffeine but on the days I need a boost, I’ve been making this dairy-free smoothie which is full of protein and potassium. I call it “triple almond” because I basically OD on it — I use almond butter, almond milk, and actual almonds in it.

Triple almond coffee smoothie

I also started adding raw maca powder to this. Maca is a potent, ancient Peruvian superfood with plant protein and fiber that naturally energizes you without the caffeine crash. Technically, you can totally make this without the coffee for that reason but I like its flavor personally. If you have decaf go for it–you’ll still get the energy boost. Maca’s actually a pretty intriguing ingredient, according to the website it says “the maca root was prized throughout the Incan empire for its adaptogenic-like qualities that enable it to nourish and balance the body’s delicate endocrine system, and to help cope with stress…it can aid in reproductive function, helping to balance hormones and increase fertility.” Dang. I originally bought this powder for the Jennifer Aniston smoothie I tried recently, but since I spent $23 on a packet of this I decided I might as well throw it in more of my meals.

Anyway, this smoothie like most is pretty easy to make and tastes amazing. Let me know if you try it and what you think!:

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Triple Almond Coffee Breakfast Smoothie
– 1/2 cup iced brewed coffee (You can use any, but I’ve been using it with a Blue Bottle Costa Rican grind that I prepare in my Chemex pour over, then I throw it in a mug of ice to let it cool for a few minutes before I pour the ice and coffee together in the blender)
– 1 frozen banana (I always put a couple bananas in the freezer for my smoothies the next day but you can use a non-frozen one too since the ice will chill the smoothie anyway)
– 1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened (I use Blue Diamond’s Almond Milk)
– 10-15 raw almonds
– 2 tbs of raw almond butter
– 1 tsp of maca powder

PS I added whipped cream and sliced almonds for the picture–quadruple almond smoothie?– but normally I’d just take this plain. It’s nice to add those little touches if you have guests though!

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Shy
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This was an easy task to get me on board with: Make a recipe using Del Monte Fresh Juices which uses Del Monte Gold pineapples handpicked from farms in Costa Rica. We had pineapples and fresh fruit every single day during our stay in Costa Rica, so just hearing that made me miss the place.

Hence, it was with open arms I welcomed a package of new juices from Del Monte to get me back to making my breakfast smoothies. Usually I’ve been having just black coffee, but yesterday I started the day experimenting with a couple different ingredients which was a nice change in routine for me.
There are so many different kinds of concoctions you can come with using Del Monte’s juice as a base (it comes in pineapple-lime as I mentioned as well aspineapple-banana-coconut, pineapple-blueberry-blackberry, and 100% pineapple seen below!):

Del Monte Fresh Juice range

This was a nice refresher to begin the day with using some of my favorite ingredients to compliment the pineapple-lime juice variety: ginger and kale!

Combine all the ingredients and blend! I love adding ginger to anything not only for the zest but for its detoxing properties. Kale, of course, is a great antioxidant and source of vitamin A, and C. I also add chia seeds and flaxseeds to any smoothie I make for its fiber content. The banana I decided to add just to thicken it up a little, and I’d say the honey is optional since the juice itself lends a lot of sweetness to it as it is — I might skip it next time. This tasted great and kept me laser focused and ready to hit the ground running at work once I got there.

Del Monte Pure green smoothie!

Make sure you visit this Del Monte Pure Earth juice link to get your $1.00 off coupon to try it yourself! Let me know how your juice/smoothies turn out! (expires 4/30/15)
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Guys, I’m not sure what I was drinking before, but I’m with the coffee snobs on this one: drip coffee tastes way better.

Chemex pour over

I probably wouldn’t have fully appreciated it had my friend Russell (hi Russell!) got me this hourglass contraption from Chemex for my birthday. I was super intimidated to try it but after a quick lesson I realized we are just spoiled senseless by coffee machines. Here’s a quick Instagram video I did:

2) Before adding the coffee, pour warm water over the top and let it filter too to warm up the filter.

3) Add desired coffee (I usually do a tsp and a half for one cup). Add a just enough water to let the coffee ‘bloom’ (this is caused naturally when the CO2 gases are released from the coffee). Basically (nerdspeak alert*), when the water hits the coffee, the rate of degassing increases, which causes the grounds to puff up noticeably. This actually pushes any water flowing through away from the grounds. If water doesn’t have sufficient contact with the grounds, the extraction won’t be great, so if you do this step and wet the coffee first helps prevent this. Just wait a few seconds til the dome deflates.

4) Next, just pour as much water as you want for your cup of coffee.

5) I like my coffee really hot so I put my Chemex over a really low heat on the stove while the coffee pours through. You can add this to heat with no problem.

Irving Farm coffee

I never imagined I would enjoy straight up black coffee with no extra sugar or milk, but this tastes so good I don’t feel the need for either. This Chemex takes away from the bitterness, so you can really taste the coffee. And on that note, this particular brew is delicious: Irving Farm Coffee Roasters coffee from Ethiopia. It tastes so good and makes my whole kitchen smell like java heaven.

Chemex pour over and grounded coffee from Irving Farm

Such a great gift. I’ve been having it every day and another thing I love about it is it doesn’t have a bad aftertaste, or taste super acidic (which I hate feeling on my teeth afterwards). I don’t know if I’m crazy but it’s a totally different experience. Anyways, just the news on my latest conversion.

Any one use this, or a french press for their coffee? Because I totally get it now.
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Here’s a nice gift for the coffee lovers: When you buy new Starbucks Refill Tumbler ($30), the recipient get’s a free grande brewed coffee every day in January. Talk about gifts that keep on giving!

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This tumbler sports and image of of the original Starbucks Store in Seattle’s Pike Place. Available at Starbucks stores or StarbucksStore.com.
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That’s my cup of Pumpkin Spice Latte, misspelling forgiven. If you love Starbucks, mark this on your calendar: Enjoy a “buy one, get one” offer on November 13-17th from 2-5pm when purchasing any of their holiday beverages (that includes hot, iced, and blended versions of their Peppermint Moncha, Skinny Peppermint Mocha, Gingerbred Latte, Eggnog Latte, and Caramel Brulée Latte).

Enjoy!
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